James Warren
A WANTED Dutch expat with links to an infamous South American drug cartel has been arrested in Marbella in connection with large scale money laundering.
The man, yet to be named by police, was arrested after an intensive Interpol investigation, and a collaboration between Dutch and Spanish police.
It is alleged the suspect, of Colombian descent, was a networker in the notorious Cali Cartel in his home country and worked for the group in the UK and the Netherlands.
According to a police statement, the fugitive fled to the Costa del Sol after increasing police pressure in the Netherlands, hiding out in a luxurious villa on the outskirts of the popular resort.
A warrant for the man’s arrest was issued after the two-year investigation led authorities to Spain, accusing him of large scale money laundering from his Marbella base.
He is accused of laundering almost €6 million in cryptocurrency.
Officers from the Policia Nacional raided the man’s property last night, arresting him and seizing three luxury cars, watches, phones and computers plus €85,000 in cash.
A simultaneous operation took place in the Delft, Netherlands, where a total of €170,000 in cryptocurrency was seized.
The Cali Cartel is one of the largest and most feared gangs in the world.
Born in the 80s in Colombia by the Orejuela brothers, in its heyday the gang controlled more than 80% of the world’s cocaine market.
